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China and Russia's UN voting alignment drops, exposing growing rifts on global issues

A once-united front is fraying. From Ukraine to nuclear disarmament, China and Russia now clash more often at the UN—raising questions about their future cooperation.

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The image shows an old book with a map of Russia and China on it. The map is detailed and shows the various countries and regions of the region. The text on the book provides additional information about the map, such as the names of cities, rivers, and other geographical features.

China and Russia's UN voting alignment drops, exposing growing rifts on global issues

China and Russia's strategic partnership has long been seen as a united front in global politics. Yet recent trends at the United Nations reveal a more complicated relationship. Over the past six years, their voting alignment has steadily declined, exposing differences on key international issues.

From 2018 to 2024, China and Russia's convergence in UN General Assembly votes dropped from around 77% to 67%. The decline stems from more opposing votes and partial splits, particularly on sensitive topics. Issues like Ukraine-related resolutions and reports from the International Criminal Court (ICC) now see the two powers taking separate positions more often.

In the Security Council, opposing votes remain rare, but partial splits have grown more frequent. Recurring disagreements appear over matters such as the UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara and the appointment of the Prosecutor for the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT). Even on nuclear disarmament—a traditionally shared concern—alignment has weakened. Both nations have increasingly opposed or abstained on resolutions addressing the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons.

New agenda items have further highlighted divisions. The Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) and discussions on military artificial intelligence have seen China and Russia take different stances. Humanitarian arms control also splits them, with contrasting views on the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) and the Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention. Their domestic policies also shape their positions, as seen in opposing views on the global moratorium on the death penalty.

Despite these differences, no joint China-Russia resolution on autonomous weapon systems was recorded in 2023. No updates suggest a shift in their positions on this issue through 2024.

The data shows a clear trend: China and Russia are voting together less often at the UN. Their disagreements now span nuclear policy, humanitarian law, and emerging global challenges. While their broader partnership remains intact, their multilateral cooperation appears increasingly fragmented.

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